12 best compact digital cameras for non-standard lovers

Although Olympus is very similar in appearance to the good old Zenith, its filling is quite modern and not at all mirror - the electronic viewfinder, there is no mirror system at all. The matrix is ​​small in megapixels (16.1 million effective), but has a fairly decent size (crop factor 2), so it gives a digestible picture even with a whale lens mounted on Micro 4/3 bayonet.

Of the advantages of the camera, we note the presence of optical and software image stabilization, a rotary display for shooting from uncomfortable positions. Fast autofocus is convenient for shooting “offhand”, and the forced autofocus mechanism is as simple as a bicycle — you just need to poke your finger at the right place on the touchscreen.

The main drawback of the model is the small battery, which is small to the limits of indecency: if you plan to spend a lot of time with the camera, do not forget about a spare battery on the road.

When creating this compact camera, boasting the title of EISA Superzoom Camera 2018-2019, Sony clearly decided to collect "full stuffing", which, alas, affected the price: here you can already think about a full frame with interchangeable optics ... But, of course, someone then compactness and versatility are needed, and here a camera with a range of equivalent focal lengths of 24-600 mm in the Zeiss lens has its advantages. True, if you know what a diaphragm is and why use it, the 2.4-4 relative aperture range indicated on the lens will be frustrating. In fact, the exposure here is regulated only by exposure, which is why the minimum possible is as much as 1/32000 of a second (!).

But the inch 20-megapixel matrix with reverse illumination is undoubtedly good. The presence of 315 points of phase focusing on it allows the camera to be guided to the desired object extremely quickly, and in combination with the possibility of continuous shooting in RAW at 24 frames per second, this already promises excellent shooting opportunities for fast-moving objects, even in sports, at least for a photo hunt.

Add to this that the MDF at the maximum focal length is only 72 mm, which gives great opportunities for macro photography. In addition, the optical stabilizer works fine, allowing you to get rid of the "shag" on relatively long exposures. If we consider that the ISO range of the matrix is ​​small, and values ​​above 800 already lead to a noticeable increase in noise, shutter speeds will often have to be increased.

However, it was not without drawbacks - the lens, as, alas, is inevitable for superzoom, suffers from tangible chromatic aberrations on an open diaphragm ... and there is practically no place to close it. Of course, with the development of RAW, this can be partially compensated, but still they spoil the impression of the camera.

Action cameras continue to push “extreme soap dishes”, respectively, and the range of such cameras is reduced. The TIPA Best Rugged Camera 2018 award winner looks like the “last of the Mohicans”, but it justifies its purpose: the camera can dive to a 30-meter depth, fall onto a hard surface from a height of 2.4 m, and so on. And in addition to the functions of the camera, he got a GPS, a compass and a barometer.

Of course, the purely photographic functions had to be sacrificed - a lens with a range of equivalent focal lengths of 24-120 mm allows changing the aperture value in a very narrow range, from 2.8 to 4.9. When focusing at small distances (and MDF it is only one centimeter) the depth of field is small, and to increase it, clamping the aperture, will not work. The presence of a stabilizer is attributed to unambiguous advantages, but the picture still remains soapy, and this “soap” can no longer be attributed to the movement of hands.

In general, the camera can also write video, and not only 1080p at 60 fps, but also 4K / 30 fps. The bit rate is very high, the camera runs out of a four-gigabyte file size limit in 8-9 minutes, and the quality requirements of the SD card are high. At the same time, the image quality is comparable to what action cameras give at a similar price - but they are smaller and lighter, and offer the broadest installation possibilities even on the blades of a helicopter. So it is not surprising that the manufacturers of photographic equipment are increasingly losing interest in this format.

Marketers of the company clearly know what mimicry is - the camera flaunts the inscription “Leica” on the lens and the stylized L in the corner of the case, but the Panasonic inscription on it will have to be searched. Well, we are only pleased with the high-quality optics - the Leica DC Summilux lens not only gives the opportunity to change the focal length within 24-72 mm in full-frame equivalent, but also has an excellent aperture ratio: f / 1.4 with the minimum focal length (though on an equivalent focal 30 mm, the relative aperture is reduced to f / 2.8, remaining so up to the zoom limit)! MDF at a minimum focal length - 3 centimeters, but, of course, with such a luminosity frame is not easy to build, the GRIP is very small. At maximum focal length, you can shoot from 30 centimeters. And, of course, the lens is equipped with an optical stabilizer.

Sensor - inch, providing decent image quality up to ISO 1600. In general, the usual picture by modern standards. You should not shoot further in JPEG - the noise cancellation algorithm is aggressive and unnecessarily “soars” the image, it is better to choose to save to RAW and adjust the noise already in Lightroom.

The main disadvantage of the camera is the lack of phase sensors for autofocus, which is why the focusing speed is not impressive. Of course, the model is not the newest, and compactness requires sacrifice, but focusing only on the contrast is already yesterday.